These free backpack charms valentines printables are cool enough, even for big kids and tweens. We love pairing them with emoji and squishy charms.
Today I’m excited to share a new, gender-neutral Valentine’s Day printable that is perfect for the big kids: Backpack Charms Valentines.
This shop, Black Cat Halloween Bags, has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #BOOItForward #CollectiveBias
Trick Or Treating where I grew up was a ritual like no other I’ve found. When *I* was a kid (said in my best, wise old lady voice), we had to WORK for OUR treats.
When I graduated college and moved to Chicagoland, I remember being a bit appalled at how the kids acted on beggar’s night. They walked up to the door, held their bags open and looked at me expectantly.
Sure, they were dressed up in their adorable little costumes, but make no mistake: these kids were slackers.
I’d ask them, “What’s your trick?” And they and their parents would look at me quizzically, like I was the crazy lady on the block.
See, back when I was a kid in central Iowa, we kids would spend the week before Halloween searching for the BEST joke so we could be prepared for Beggar’s Night. If you had no joke and no costume, you would be DENIED, or at the very least, tsked for not doing your job right.
AKA: Trick FOR treat. Quid pro quo.
I tried to get my kids to single-handedly carry out the tradition out here, but it was a no-go. My neighbors were confused at why they were being told jokes. They didn’t quite appreciate the tradition. I get it.
So, this year we’re trying a new angle: we’re Boo’ing it forward. Surprising neighbors and friends with little treats and goodies on their doorstep.
Forget the traditional and tired oranges, browns and greens of Halloween, and the spooky ghosts and goblins that just aren’t for everyone. We decided to stand out by creating classy and chic Black Cat Halloween Bags.
To make them, start with some simple, inexpensive craft essentials: pink and black paper favor bags, glitter paper, and self stick letters. Oh, and a feather boa.
Photo Credit: Sweet Style Photography
Today I’m so excited to share a sweet Bake Shop Birthday Party my beautiful and talented friend, Petula, recently threw for her daughter’s 7th birthday.
Looking for creative birthday party favors that totally rock? These goodie bag ideas will make you look like a creative super-mom, and won’t break the bank.
Plan the ultimate Peppa Pig picnic party with these Peppa Pig birthday party ideas.
When planning my youngest’s 3rd birthday, it was a no-brainer to choose a Peppa Pig theme. She loves the show and her favorite outfit has Peppa on it.
After researching lots of Peppa Pig birthday party ideas, I came up with a picnic theme. Since her birthday is in March, we brought the outdoors indoors for the celebration!
When guests entered our home for the party, they were invited to try on a pair of rain boots for size to jump in muddy puddles.
I used inexpensive craft paper for the puddles and wrote, “We LOVE jumping in muddy puddles! Try on a pair for size and play with me!”
Peppa Pig printables, favors, and inexpensive birthday party ideas.
Looking for a super easy, inexpensive birthday party favor that kids will actually use? Look no further than these “It’s Pinwheelie Fun” Peppa Pig party favors.
I’m planning my daughter’s upcoming birthday party, and since she’s a huge Peppa Pig fan, it was easy choosing a theme. I had so much fun researching Peppa Pig party ideas, and came up with a Peppa Pig picnic party theme.
To go with the bright, cheerful theme, I decided on combining two kid obsessions for our Peppa Pig party favors: bubbles and pinwheels.
Today I’m sharing how I made my own DIY custom cookie cutter, for my daughter’s Peppa Pig birthday party, for less than $1.
I’m planning a Peppa Pig birthday party for my youngest, and knew she would get a kick out of themed cookies. There are some great Peppa cookie cutters online, but I didn’t want to pay for a cookie cutter I planned to use just one time. Instead, I decided to make my own DIY custom cookie cutter.
I absolutely love the look of these tinsel tassel banners for party decor. Even better? They’re super easy and inexpensive to make – just in time to decorate in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day!
Today’s sweet Valentine’s Day printable is brought to you by my daughter’s upcoming birthday party.
You see, in brainstorming her pink lemonade party favors, I couldn’t help but think they would also make great valentines. Since I’m all about pulling double duty on party planning, I’m offering these Pink Lemonade Valentines as a printable for you today!
I think you’re sip – ly sweet, valentine!
With the official begin of summer quickly approaching, we’ve been having a lot of fun making homemade ice cream again. We’re huge fans of ice cream, and even made it the central theme for Eve’s birthday party one year! My very favorite homemade ice cream continues to be vanilla ice cream with a drop or two of lemon extract, but the kids have loved creating their own ice cream recipes.
Here are our favorite egg-free ice cream recipes – no ice cream maker required!
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Do any of the above three make your list?
What could be better than a tutu birthday party for your little ballerina’s two year-old birthday?
For baby ‘Belle’s party, I wanted to do something that conveyed her love of dancing and tutus and looked special, but that was simple and inexpensive to put together.
First, for my $3 backdrop, I took 3 white plastic tablecloths from the dollar store for my backdrop. I simple folded them in half length wise, then began rolling them up toward the fold. Once the cloth was rolled approximately 10″ from the fold, I began cutting the rolled tablecloth in strips approximately 3″ apart. Easy!
I finished it off with the vintage bunting we re-use for the girls’ parties each year. I love how this small investment adds something special to every party we have for them.
Next, I layered the table with two tablecloths, sandwiched with some tulle. I had planned to make this an inexpensive “tutu tablecloth” but it didn’t quite turn out that way! No problem though – I still love the effect of the pink tulle as the focal point of the table. To finish it off, I placed the tablecloth over the top and bustled it at the center to better highlight the tulle.
Finally, I placed a trifle bowl upside down and I placed her own baby tutu around the bowl. Then, I just placed the cake on top. 
I’d ordered a the cake to looks similar this:
So, I was a little disappointed in the finished result from my local Target bakery.However, I really can’t complain for such an inexpensive cake…and really it looks so cute when it’s all propped out with this gold “2” candle and bunting.
We served ballerina punch, pink Jelly Bellys and dipped marshmallows for a birthday-worthy sugar buzz.
I hope you like ‘Belle’s tutu party fit for a two year-old ballerina. Thanks for stopping by!
For Dub’s birthday this year, he wanted everything Minecraft. He also loves Legos so, naturally, Lego Steve from Minecraft seemed like the perfect party favors.
I did a lot of research trying to find an easy way to do this. To be honest, I was hoping there would be a sale of Minecraft Lego lots on ebay that would allow me to phone this one in, but it was not to be.
So, I ended up making a Minecraft Lego Steve myself using the Lego Pick-A-Brick feature.
While you can do this in-store if you have a Lego retail location near you, they have a varying selection, so I saved myself the trip and did my shopping online. I wanted to be able to have all the pieces I needed for Minecraft Steve! This is where I insert my Lego PSA – I found out after I placed my order that Pick-A-Brick orders can take up to 18 business days! That’s almost a month! So, this Lego Minecraft Steve favor only really works if you are planning out by at least a month to ensure your Bricks get to you in time.
Here’s what I ordered to make 15 favors:
Item#, color – quantity
For the pick axe, I had to go to Ebay where I got a great deal paying $1.47 total for 15 axes. That brought the total to $26.21 for 15 favors, or $1.74, each. (I didn’t see any swords or pick axes in the Pick-A-Brick section when I was ordering. They do have a “mini Fireman’s axe” or a “warrior weapon,” though.)
Then, I went to work making a face for Minecraft Steve in PhotoShop. I measured it to the size of the 2×2 Lego and then I printed it on Avery label paper. Removing the paper backing first, I cut down each face sticker to the exact size and then replaced it on a small square of the paper backing to place in the favor bag.
I took a photo of the complete Lego Minecraft Steve to include with all the kits. The kids had a lot of fun putting Lego Steve together while they were still at the party, and had a great time showing off their new toy when they were done.
I placed the Legos in a small jewelry ziplock bag. Then, I made a simple tag that I stapled to the top of the sealed bag as a finishing touch.
This was a huge hit among the 6 and 7 year old crowd!
While this Lego Minecraft Steve party favor does take a bit of advanced planning, you and your child will will have so much fun sharing these unique and fun activities for the kids to do!
Thinking of making a Lego Steve for your Minecrafter’s party? You can get a head start by downloading Steve’s face here (compatible with Avery 5260* labels), the finished Steve image inserts here, and the favor tags here. Enjoy!
MORE FREE MINECRAFT PRINTABLES: Like these printables? Be sure to check out my other free Minecraft Printables here and here.
Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:
DIY Minecraft Birthday Party
Minecraft Tinsel Tassel Bunting Tutorial
This year, Dub wanted his party to be all about Minecraft. I didn’t want our home to look like it threw up Minecraft-licensed decor, so I went with something that we all could get excited about. We weren’t having a big celebration at home either, so I wanted to keep this simple and fairly inexpensive. 
First: the centerpiece du jour: his Minecraft cake. Kind of a boring concept, but this is a representation of THE pixelated cake featured on the video game. I was more than happy to outsource this portion of the party and Dub was in love with how it turned out. It was exactly what he wanted!
Next, I created the theme using a brown dollar store tablecloth and some tissue paper “grass.” Super inexpensive for one package to cover this table, and the kids were fascinated by this!
I created a simple and inexpensive tissue paper bunting that added some visual interest in the party theme color (tutorial here).
Finally, I like to decorate with party favors, because it’s the decoration that cleans itself up as the guests leave.
I bought some green lunch bag sized paper bags and cut felt into the shape of a Creeper face. Really, this would have been so much easier with black construction paper and my Silhouette SD, but black felt was what I had on hand so that’s what I used.
I filled the bag with goodies like gold and silver ore, Mike & Ikes, a growing green bug, and I repurposed my Minecraft Valentine printable to wrap boxes of Nerds candy.
The highlight of the goodie bags was a Lego Steve creation I made with the help of Pinterest and the Lego Pick-A-Brick tool.
*This post contains affiliate links. Please read the full disclaimer on the right sidebar. Thank you for your support!
Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:
Minecraft Tinsel Tassel Bunting Tutorial
DIY Minecraft Lego Steve Favors
I absolutely love the look of these tinsel tassel banners for party decor. Even better? They’re super easy and inexpensive to make.
Dub really wanted a Minecraft-themed birthday party, but I didn’t want a licensed decor explosion, so I began thinking of ways to decorate with color. With lots of Pinterest inspiration, I decided I wanted to give this a try. However, I was surprised to find there aren’t a lot of tutorials out there so I am sharing a quick and dirty tutorial of my own.
I set to work on this particular banner with four colors of tissue paper, green, lime green, chevron and silver metallic (I linked to some examples because I initially had a hard time finding these).
1) First, I took a stack of 8 sheets of tissue in each color and cut them the short length of the pre-cut sheets (approximately 20″) and cut them about 8″ wide.
2) I then folded the stack of sheets in half and began cutting them in 1/4″ strips, stopping about 1″ from the fold. I used a rotary cutter and mat to make quick and more precise work of this, but regular scissors will do.
3) I then unfolded the papers and, taking 2 sheets at a time, began rolling them tightly at the center. Once each set of 2 was rolled at the center I began gently twisting the rolled portion. Once it was lightly twisted I folded it in half and began twisting the rolled portions together. When you’re done it will look something like this. Perfectly imperfect.
4) Thread the tassels through a string or ribbon. I made a single simple knot at each tassel to keep them in place.
All in all, this was a pretty quick and easy project that took me maybe 20 minutes total to complete. I also love that if you source your papers from the dollar store, you could complete three of these banners for just $4! (meaning, each banner is just over $1, with plenty of paper to spare for favors or gifts). I have a feeling various themed tinsel banners will be showing up at more parties around here!
Dub’s party is not for a few more weeks, so I’m letting it hang on our mantle for St. Patrick’s Day. How’s that for multi-purpose party decor?
Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:
DIY Minecraft Birthday Party
DIY Minecraft Lego Steve Favors
Dress up a common paper lunch bag to be something extra special! EClaire needed to take favor bags to school for her half birthday (summer birthday problems!). I had a few awkwardly shaped items so I needed a decent-sized bag, but I didn’t want to spend much.
As usual, I headed to the Dollar Tree fro some paper lunch bags and doilies. Then, I secured them with these tiny craft clothespins that you can get at Hobby Lobby or here on Amazon. I love how these turned out, and you can make 40 for just $6. Next time, I love the idea of trying these for birthday party favors with colorful doilies and clothespins.
These would be great for Valentines, Birthday parties or even for quick and easy gift wrap for small gifts.
Remember the Princess Candy Necklace favors i made for my daughter’s birthday? Well, I’m all about upcycling my work, so I made a few modifications so we can use them for EClaire’s classroom Valentines. The party favors have been such a hit among all my readers, so I’ve decided to offer these up as a free Candy Necklace Valentine printable, as well.
Just print these out, two-sided, on some card stock, cut a slit on either side of the card and finish with a candy bracelet!
Click here to get the princess version, perfect for birthday party favors!
If you love these and plan to use them for your Valentines, please take a moment to tell me about it in the comments!
Looking for more great Valentine’s Day printables like this? Try my other popular free options:
Planning Eve’s birthday party each year is always so much fun coming up with new themes. And this year we’re doing a Princess Birthday Party. Making adorable decorations and favor bags has been a blast. Get all the details on how to make these Princess party favor candy necklace cards for your next party!
There are so many princess birthday party ideas flooding the internet. After wading through endless princess stuff, I decided to use more of a traditional princess theme rather than a Disney princess party. I knew I wanted some custom party favors, but I didn’t really find anything out there I loved for purchase, so I decided I needed to create my own.
First up was the princess crown Candy Button favors. I love the nostalgic feel of the old-fashion candy combined with ultimate princess accessory.
Next up, candy necklace cards. These cute candy cards were the hit of the party. The girls just couldn’t love them more. Who wouldn’t love candy jewelry, right?
We’ve established that I’m a big fan of ice cream. But, cake. Oh how I love cake, too! Eve chose Birthday Cake ice cream as one of her flavors for our ice cream truck and it didn’t take me any convincing to agree. I set to work researching recipes, but yet again found that most recipes called for eggs, which was not what I was going for.
So took my favorite ideas from the interwebs, then adapted a basic vanilla ice cream recipe to create this fabulous birthday explosion for the tastebuds.
What you’ll need:
What to do:
*No ice cream maker? No problem. Freeze the chilled liquid mixture for 2-4 hours or until slightly thickened/frozen and then gently stir in the cake cubes and sprinkles. Chill overnight.
YUM! Your kids will beg you to make this recipe again and again. I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please tell me what you think in the comments below.
There’s just something about Candy Buttons. These nostalgic candies are surprisingly easy to make, and are perfect for birthdays, party favors, or just a fun sweet treat.
To make Candy Buttons, all you need to do is prepare a simple royal icing recipe. You can use the recipe listed on the can of Meringue Powder, but I used the following recipe, inspired by Sweet Sugarbelle:
What you’ll need:
To prepare:
Next, tear off a sheet of freezer paper – large enough that you can fit a large batch of buttons on (you won’t cut the paper until these are dry).
Fill your pastry bag (I used my Pampered Chef Decorator Bottle Set*) with frosting and twist the top, removing excess air. Now, simply pipe evenly sized dots across the paper. If possible, print a template in advance and place it below the freezer paper. Be sure that the design will fit into your final packaging. If you’re using pretzel bags for your packaging, your design will need to be approximately 2.15 x 5″ to fit the pretzel bags I would be placing them in.
Let the Buttons sit overnight to dry. Any excess frosting will keep in a resealable bag refrigerated for two weeks.
Now for the fun! Once the Buttons have set up overnight, you can begin cutting the freezer paper to your desired shapes.
Package your Candy Buttons for the occasion. I placed them in Wilton pretzel bags that I got at JoAnn’s for $1.37 using my 40% off coupon. Think of the possibilities! Birthday party favors, Valentines, and more!
In addition to being featured on the fab blogs listed on the right of this blog, this post was also featured on Huckleberry Love.
My final post in the Star Wars birthday party series is to share the custom invitations and thank you cards I designed.
Each year, I’ve been lucky that my children have chosen Halloween costumes that match their birthday party themes for the following year. Dub chose to be Darth Vader, so I used his Halloween costume for the front of the invitation. I created a simple background in PhotoShop, and used the free Star Jedi font.
I used the same background on the back, added the party details, and created a Darth Vader silhouette.
During the birthday party, I made sure to get one shot of all of the kids in the photo booth, wearing their jedi robes and using photo booth props. I used this image for a custom thank you postcard. On the back, I created a simple template that Dub could fill in himself. I love the idea of the postcard because it helps him learn the proper etiquette of showing thankfulness. Sincere, personal, and to the point! And, it’s a little less expensive to mail 🙂
Finally, just to prove how much I utilize those Halloween photos, I also used it for Dub’s Valentine’s card. I wonder if he’ll be sick of Darth Vader by this Halloween?
Star Wars Darth Vader Valentine | Five Marigolds
Star Wars Birthday Party, Part I
